Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild

[rosy future]

I wonder if anyone can help. I am working my way through Graham Wheelers book and have made eighteen brews since my first tentative steps three months ago, some with more success than others. About a month ago I made Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby mild, and last night I sampled it, just for quality control purposes you understand. Although it tasted delicious, it could not be considered 'dark' by any stretch of the imagination. I wondered if I had mislabelled the barrel and decided to check on the internet, and there I found a picture, which was well and truly dark, like a good Midlands mild ought to be.
Although it had not occurred to me on brew day, I checked with BrewMate which suggested that the colour would come out at something like 14 rather than the 47 that Graham suggests in his book.
Am I missing something, or should the recipe have included a few grams of black or chocolate malt; every other mild recipe includes one or the other.

 

[PD]

I've never made an AG brew of SH.only the kit version. These have turned out lovely and dark.
I just looked at GW recipe and for the 23 liter brew the ingredients he gives does NOT make a dark porter type ale. It looks like a dark bitter.
If I was doing a brew of his I would be looking to add say 200gms of Roasted Barley to the mix.

 

[rosy future]

Hi PD
Thanks for that. Would the roast barley impart a different flavour? I am genuinely happy with the flavour as it is, but the colour confused me. I see also that I am comparing apples with pears. GW report the colour in EBC whereas BrewMate deals in SRM. Maybe substituting a dark crystal for regular crystal might have the same effect.
Ross

 

[PD]

thats why its good to play with some software like brewmate or beersmith.... you can play with ingredients all day

 

[dennisking]

Roast barley would alter the taste quite a bit, especially 200gms, it would make it a lot more bitter. a small amount of black malt, under 50gms, would alter the colour without altering the taste to much. I drank a bottle made by rokdoc at the spring thing that I think was the Graham Wheeler recipe and thought it was the best beer I drank that weekend.

 

[Dr Mike]

Do you know what colour (EBC) your crystal malt is ? I've done GW's recipe using 150 EBC crystal and the colour looks spot on. If you crystal malt is a lighter grade then that might explain the colour being too light.

BTW in 'Amber Gold & Black' Martyn Cornell says the grist for this beer is 10% Crystal malt which is half the amount GW suggests. If that is true it must be a dark or extra dark (>300 EBC) crystal malt.

 

[Good Ed]

this is how mine turned out using GW's recipe with standard crystal from the Malt Miller at about 130 EBC

 

[dennisking]

Can't see much wrong with that, looks like a decent mild to me.

 

[rosy future]

Dr Mike

I think this particular batch of crystal was from Worcester Hop Shop where it is described as 145 EBC. But the colour of mine is nothing like that of dennisking's. That looks a lovely pint, and probably what I was expecting. The bottom line I think is that the taste is most important and I'm happy with mine, though I do wish it was a little less cloudy. But I'm learning. I think this may be one brew in which I used Irish Moss rather than a Protafloc tablet. Since I changed the brews have been a little cloudy. I've made a note of the one where I failed to use either, let's see how that turns out. Since starting out I have made a note of those beers that I want to make again, this is one of them and I will experiment until I get it right.

Thanks to everyone for their input, it really is a great family to be part of.

 

[dennisking]

Dr Mike

I think this particular batch of crystal was from Worcester Hop Shop where it is described as 145 EBC. But the colour of mine is nothing like that of dennisking's. That looks a lovely pint, and probably what I was expecting. The bottom line I think is that the taste is most important and I'm happy with mine, though I do wish it was a little less cloudy. But I'm learning. I think this may be one brew in which I used Irish Moss rather than a Protafloc tablet. Since I changed the brews have been a little cloudy. I've made a note of the one where I failed to use either, let's see how that turns out. Since starting out I have made a note of those beers that I want to make again, this is one of them and I will experiment until I get it right.

Thanks to everyone for their input, it really is a great family to be part of.

Not mine, Good Ed's

 

[rosy future]

Oops, that of Good Ed not dennisking, though I'm sure dennis brews an equivalent. I'm back in the UK next week and intend visiting the brewery of Sarah Hughes in Sedgeley, about half an hour from me, to see how good the real thing actually is.

 

[dennisking]

Oops, that of Good Ed not dennisking, though I'm sure dennis brews an equivalent. I'm back in the UK next week and intend visiting the brewery of Sarah Hughes in Sedgeley, about half an hour from me, to see how good the real thing actually is.

Don't do many set recipes these days, and I don't bottle very much. However after trying Rokdocs beer I am going to give this one a go.

 

[Good Ed]

Oops, that of Good Ed not dennisking, though I'm sure dennis brews an equivalent. I'm back in the UK next week and intend visiting the brewery of Sarah Hughes in Sedgeley, about half an hour from me, to see how good the real thing actually is.

take along a sanitised container and ask them nicely for some yeast, you never know :thumb: the real thing is very good btw